Magnetooptic disk player

Abstract: A magnetooptic disk player records and/or reproduces the information of a magnetooptic disk loaded into a disk cartridge (1,1') using an optical pickup and a magnetic head (30). The apparatus loads and unloads the magnetooptic disk cartridge (1,1') on a deck using a mechanism. However, when a recordable magnetooptic disk cartridge is loaded and unloaded, or is inserted and drawn out, the magnetic head is completely protected from damage by the use of a head ascending support (100).

Description: The present invention relates to a magnetooptic recording and reproducing apparatus which records information by projecting a focused optical beam on a recording medium and simultaneously applying a magnetic field to the recording medium and reproduces information recorded on the medium, and more particularly, to a portable magnetooptic disk player which uses a magnetooptic disk cartridge in which a magnetooptic disk is rotatably received. Generally, a magnetooptic disk has record layers in which desired information is recorded and the recorded information is reproduced using a magnetooptic disk player which has an optical pickup for the projecting of a focused optical beam and a bias magnet for applying a magnetic field. The record layers, for example, are composed of a magnetic material, such as TbFe or TbFeCo. This magnetooptic disk is received in a caddy to form a disk cartridge so that the disk is loaded in a disk drive together with the caddy. Recently, a magnetooptic disk cartridge called a "minidisk" (64mm diameter) was placed on the market by Sony (Registered Trade Mark), and the development of suitable players therefor has progressed actively. There are two types of currently available minidisks: a recordable type shown in Figures 1A and 1B and a reproduction-only type shown in Figures 2A and 2B. Referring to Figures 1A and 1B, the recordable minidisk 1 has a cartridge cell 2 having two openings 3 and 4 at the both sides thereof and a shutter 5 which moves along a sliding groove 6 so as to open and close openings 3 and 4. Both sides of a disk 9 in cartridge cell 2 are exposed through openings 3 and 4. In Figures 2A and 2B, the reproduction-only minidisk 1' has a cartridge cell 2' having an opening only on one side thereof and a shutter 5' which moves along a sliding groove 6' so as to open and close opening 3'. Thus, only the one side of disk 9' is exposed through opening 3'. Arrows 7 and 7' on the upper surface of cartridge cell 2 and 2' of minidisks 1 and 1' each depict the direction of insertion into a player. Recording and reproducing detection grooves 8 and 8' each having different depth are formed on the lower surface of cartridge cell 2 and 2', so that it can be determined whether an inserted minidisk is a recordable type or a reproduction-only type. Loading grooves 10 and 10' are provided at the right and left sides of the lower surface of cartridge cells 2 and 2'. A plurality of cartridge loading grooves 11 and 11' for loading the disk cartridge into a deck are provided on the lower surface of cartridge cells 2 and 2'. A portable player (Sony model MZ-1) is now available as a recording and reproducing apparatus for the above-described minidisks. This player is formed with a slot into which the minidisk can be inserted by means of a "slot-in" method, and includes a spindle motor which rotates the inserted minidisk, an optical pickup which projects a focused optical beam onto one side of the disk, and a magnetic head which applies a magnetic field to the other side of the disk. The cartridge cell of the minidisk inserted into the slot is loaded into a deck, in the state where the shutter is pushed aside to provide access to the opening. Meanwhile, the disk in the cartridge cell is loaded on a turntable rotated by a spindle motor. When choosing the reproducing mode with respect to the rotating disk, only the optical pickup operates in the state where the magnetic head is raised. When choosing the recording mode, the magnetic head is lowered by a motor, so as to be drawn near the surface of the disk, and move together with the optical pickup. However, with a reproduction-only minidisk loaded, the magnetic head does not descend even if the recording mode is selected. In general, it is desirable that a portable player be lightweight and compact and consume little electrical power. However, in the case of the Sony minidisk player, it is difficult to make the minidisk player small and lightweight because the minidisk inserting structure (by the above slot-in method) and the magnetic head ascending/descending structures are complicated and requires a large space. Also, as the minidisk is inserted/extracted and the magnetic head ascends /descends by separate driving means, power consumption is excessive. An apparatus for mechanically solving the above problems is shown in Figures 3 and 4. Here, when magnetooptic disk cartridge 1 is inserted into cartridge holder 20, locking protrusion 55 of drawing-out member 50 engages with in locking pin 61, and locking portion 95 of slide locking member 90 engages with locking pin 94 formed on cartridge holder 20. As cartridge 1 is inserted, a protruding pin 85 installed on contacting end 54 of drawing-out member 50 is pushed, so that supporting stick 86 for supporting protruding portion 45 is pushed back. Therefore, magnetic head 30 is lowered to substantially make contact with the upper surface of magnetooptic disk 9 in disk cartridge 1. When cartridge holder 20 into which a disk cartridge is inserted is in the open state, if disk cartridge 1 is drawn out to be exchanged with another disk cartridge, there is a potential risk of damaging the lowered magnetic head 30. An apparatus according to the pre-characterising portion of Claim 1 is known from EP-A-0554065 (Sony), which discloses a magnetic head supporting member carrying the magnetic head and being rotatable toward and away from the disk. The apparatus also includes a disk type detecting arm for detecting the type of disk inserted and for allowing movement of the magnetic head supporting member toward the disk only where the disk is of the recording/reproducing type. It is an aim of preferred embodiments of the present invention to provide a magnetooptic disk player which is lightweight and compact so as to be suitable for a portable type player and which consumes little electrical power. Another aim is to provide a magnetooptic disk player in which a magnetooptic disk cartridge is mechanically loaded and unloaded on a main body and a magnetic head is well protected. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a magnetooptic disk player having a cartridge holder into which a magnetooptic disk cartridge is insertable, a magnetic head which substantially contacts, in use, a magnetooptic disk inside an inserted magnetooptic disk cartridge, and a deck onto which the magnetooptic disk cartridge is loadable, wherein the magnetooptic disk player further comprises: a head supporting member on which the magnetic head is installed and which, in use, can ascend and descend so that the magnetic head substantially makes contact with the magnetooptic disk; and head ascending support means installed on the cartridge holder, for lifting the head supporting member in the state where the cartridge holder is open and lowering the head supporting member in the state where the cartridge holder is closed; characterised in that said head ascending support means comprises: a supporting portion (107') formed on the cartridge holder (20); a head ascending support member (100) rotatably coupled to the supporting portion (107'), for lifting and lowering said head supporting member (32); and a spring (103) for elastically biasing the head ascending support member (100) toward a position where said head supporting member (32) is lifted. Preferably, said head ascending support member comprises: a contacting portion formed at one side of head ascending support member for making contact with the deck by the rotation of the cartridge holder to move said head ascending supporting member toward a position where the head supporting member is lowered; and a head supporting member contacting portion formed at the other side of the head ascending support member, for contacting with the head supporting member. Preferably, said spring is constructed such that one end of the spring is connected to the cartridge holder, the center portion thereof is attached about the rotational axis of the head ascending support member, and the other end thereof is connected to the head ascending support member. Preferably, said magnetooptic disk player further comprises a plate spring installed on the deck for contacting said contacting means and thereby smoothly guiding the movement of the head ascending support means. According to a second aspect, there is provided a magnetooptic disk player comprising a cartridge holder into which a magnetooptic disk cartridge is insertable, a magnetic head which substantially contacts, in use, a magnetooptic disk magnetooptic disk cartridge, and a deck onto which the magnetooptic disk cartridge is loadable, the magnetic disk player comprising: a head supporting member for supporting the magnetic head, and which, in use, can ascend and descend so that the magnetic head substantially makes contact with the magnetooptic disk; a sliding member installed on the cartridge holder, and which can be pushed by an inserted magnetooptic disk cartridge and then restored to an initial state; and head ascending support means installed on the sliding member, for lifting the head supporting member in the state where the cartridge holder is open and for lowering the head supporting member in the state where the cartridge holder is closed; characterised in that said head ascending support means comprises: a supporting portion (107) formed on the sliding member (80); a head ascending support member (100) rotatably coupled to said supporting portion (107), for lifting and lowering the head supporting member (32); and a spring (103) for elastically biasing the head ascending support member (100) toward a position where said head supporting member (32) is lifted. Preferably, the head ascending support member comprises: a contacting portion formed at one side of the head ascending support member for making contact with the deck by the rotation of the cartridge holder to move said head ascending support member toward a position where said head supporting member is lowered; and a head supporting member contacting portion formed at the other side of the head ascending support member, for contacting with the head supporting member. The spring is preferably constructed such that one end thereof is connect to the sliding member, the center portion of the spring is attached about the rotational axis of the head ascending support member, and the other end of the spring is connected to the head ascending support member thereby elastically biasing the head ascending member. Said magnetooptic disk player may further comprise: a plate spring formed on the deck for contacting said contacting portion and thereby smoothly guiding the movement of the head ascending support means. For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how embodiments of the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figures 1A and 1B are perspective views of a recordable magnetooptic disk cartridge; Figures 2A and 2B are perspective views of a reproduction-only magnetooptic disk cartridge; Figure 3 is a plan view showing the state where magnetooptic disk cartridge is inserted into the opened cartridge holder of the conventional recordable magnetooptic disk player; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view cut along the line A-A of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the state where the cartridge holder of an embodiment of a magnetooptic disk player in accordance with the present invention is closed; Figure 6 is a side view showing the state where a recordable magnetooptic disk cartridge is inserted in Figure 5; Figure 7 is a side view showing the state where a reproduction-only magnetooptic disk cartridge is inserted in Figure 5; Figure 8 is a view from the bottom of the deck of the magnetooptic disk player of Figures 5 to 7; Figure 9 is a side view showing details of a connecting portion between an optical pickup assembly and a magnetic head in the magnetooptic disk player of Figures 5 to 8; Figure 10 is plan view showing further details of the connecting portion of Figure 9; Figure 11 is a plan view of the disk player of Figures 5 to 10 for illustrating an initial state where the magnetooptic disk cartridge is inserted into the cartridge holder; Figure 12 is a side view showing the state where a recordable magnetooptic disk cartridge is inserted in the cartridge holder of Figure 11; Figure 13 is a side view showing the state where a reproduction-only magnetooptic disk cartridge is inserted in the cartridge holder of Figure 11; and Figure 14 is a perspective view showing another embodiment. Referring initially to Figures 5 and 6, reference numeral 110 represents a deck and reference numeral 20 represents a cartridge holder. Deck 110 has an upper surface 111 onto which minidisk 1 or 1' (Figures 1A & 1B or Figures 2A & 2B) is loaded. Cartridge holder 20 receives minidisk 1 or 1', which is inserted in an arrow direction al, is connected to the deck 110 with a hinge 21, and is rotated in an arrow direction a2 so as to make contact with or separate from the upper surface of deck 110. Shutter opener 22 is formed at one side of cartridge holder 20, for opening shutter 5 or 5' as the minidisk is inserted. Shutter closer 23 is provided to one side of cartridge holder 20, for closing shutter 5 or 5' as the minidisk is drawn out in the opposite direction. As shown in Figures 8 and 12, a turntable 112 onto which the magnetooptic disk is loaded is installed on the upper surface 111 of deck 110. Turntable 112 is directly connected to a spindle motor 113 mounted below deck 110. An optical pickup assembly 114 supported by a guide rod 115 and a screw shaft 116 being parallel to each other is installed below deck 110, and moves in an arrow direction a3 by the rotation of screw shaft 116. Screw shaft 116 is connected to transporting motor 118 through a gear train 117. The optical pickup assembly 114 has object lens 119 and, projects an optical beam focused by the lens 119 onto one side of magnetooptic disk loaded on turntable 112 of the upper surface of deck 110. As in the conventional apparatus, optical pickup assembly 114 receives the optical beam reflected from the magnetooptic disk and thereby detects electrical signals such as a reproducing signal. Referring to Figures 5, 9 and 10, a magnetic head 30 disposed on the upper side of cartridge holder 20 is attached to the end of a flexible plate spring 31 supported by a head supporting member 32. A connecting portion 40 connects optical pickup assembly 114 (Figure 9) with head supporting member 32. The connecting portion comprises a pickup connecting member 41 connected to optical pickup assembly 114, a head connecting member 42 connected with head supporting member 32, and a hinge portion 43 for connecting pickup connecting portion 41 with head connecting portion 42. Hinge portion 43 has the same central axis as that of hinge 21 for connecting deck 110 with cartridge holder 20. That is, optical pickup assembly 114 and magnetic head 30 can be transported together in the direction a3 of Figure 8 by connecting portion 40. Also, magnetic head 30 is rotated, together with head supporting member 32 and head connecting member 42, in the direction a2 which is the opening and closing directions of cartridge holder 20. On the other hand, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, magnetic head 30 is elastically biased downward by coil spring 44 wound around hinge portion 43 and one end portion of which rests against head connecting member 42. Protruding portion 45 protruding downward is formed on head connecting member 42 of connecting portion 40 so as to interlock with a supporting rod (described later). An adjusting screw 46 passes through pickup connecting member 41, so that its leading end nearly makes contact with the rear portion of head connecting member 42, in order to adjust the horizonal status of head supporting member 32. According to Figures 5, 6 and 11, a drawing-out member 50 for pushing the loaded minidisk forward in the opposite direction of arrow al, a locking member 60, and a locking release member 70 are provided on the upper surface of cartridge holder 20. Drawing-out member 50 supported by an elongated hole 51 and a supporting pin 52 can move back and forth, and is elastically biased in the drawn-out direction by a spring 53. A contacting end 54 which contacts the front surface of the inserted minidisk and a locking protrusion 55 which is engaged with a locking pin 61 of locking member 60 are provided on drawing-out member 50. Locking member 60 is rotatably supported by a pivot 62, is elastically biased counterclockwise by a torsion spring 64, and has releasing pin 63 at one end thereof. Releasing pin 63 interlocks with a protruding portion 72 of a spring member 71 pivotally supported on locking release member 70, so that locking pin 61 can be drawn back clockwise. Locking release member 70 supported by an elongated hole 73 and a supporting pin 74 can move back and forth and is connected with deck 110 via a link 75. Locking release member 70 moves back and forth with spring member 71 on cartridge holder 20 according to the opening and closing of cartridge holder 20. According to Figures 5, 6 and 11, a sliding member 80 is installed on the upper surface of cartridge holder 20, for identifying whether the inserted minidisk is a recordable type, and as the recordable minidisk 1 (Figures 1A and 1B) is loaded, for raising/lowering magnetic head 30 by interlocking with recordable minidisk 1. Sliding member 80 supported by an elongated hole 81 and a supporting pin 82 can move back and forth slightly and is elastically biased forward by a spring 83. Sliding member 80 has protruding pin 85 provided on bending portion 84 formed at a rear end of sliding member 80. Protruding pin 85 is provided at a position coinciding with detecting hole 8 or 8' (Figures 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B) formed on inserted minidisk 1 or 1'. In the above structure, the protruding pin cannot enter detecting hole 8 of a recordable minidisk and can only enter detecting hole 8' of a reproduction-only minidisk. A head supporting rod 86 whose length is approximately equal to the radius of the magnetooptic disk is fixed by two fixing plates 87 and 88 on sliding member 80. Referring to Figure 11, a supporting pin 91 is provided on sliding member 80. A slide locking member 90 having a transverse elongated hole 92 is supported by supporting pin 91 so as to shift in a transverse direction and is elastically biased toward drawing-out member 50 by a torsion spring 93. Slide locking member 90 has a locking protrusion 95 which is engaged with a locking pin 94 installed on the cartridge holder 20, and a locking release portion 96 which is pushed back to release the locking state of locking protrusion 95 by interlocking with an interlocking pin 57 installed on drawing-out member 50. According to Figure 5, sliding member 80 is formed with supporting portion 107 for installing thereon a head ascending support member 100 for raising the head. A supporting pin 104 is installed on supporting portion 107 so that head ascending support member 100 rotates centering supporting pin 104. Head ascending support member 100 has a head supporting member contacting portion 105 for raising and lowering head supporting member 32 while in contact therewith, and an ascending/descending stand 101 which ascends and descends to support the contacting portion. A plate spring contacting portion 106 is provided on the opposite side of contacting portion 105, for lowering ascending/descending stand 101 by the loading rotation of cartridge holder 20. Spring 103 is connected with a spring fixing hole 108 formed on sliding member 80 and with spring fixing hole 109 formed on head ascending support member 100 and is wound around supporting pin 104. Therefore, head ascending support member 100 is elastically biased downwards centering supporting pin 104. A plate spring 102 is installed on the right upper surface of deck 110 and interlocks with plate spring contacting portion 106 of head ascending support member 100 by the descending rotation of cartridge holder 20, to thereby rotate head ascending support member 100 clockwise. The operation of the magnetooptic disk player in accordance with the above described embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Figure 11 shows the open state of cartridge holder 20. Referring to Figure 11, when recordable minidisk 1 is inserted into cartridge holder 20, the front surface of inserted minidisk 1 (not shown) is in contact with the contacting end 54 of drawing-out member 50. At this state, when minidisk 1 is pushed for insertion, drawing-out member 50 is pushed in a direction a4 and spring 53 extends so that locking protrusion 55 of drawing-out member 50 is locked by engaging with locking pin 61 of locking member 60. Locking protrusion 55 easily passes by locking pin 61, due to the slope of the locking protrusion and locking pin 61 is restored readily, so that the locking process smoothly proceeds. Referring to Figure 12, protruding pin 85 installed on bending portion 84 of sliding member 80 cannot enter detecting hole 8 of minidisk 1. Therefore, sliding member 80 is pushed back, and supporting rod 86 which supports the protruding portion 45 protruding from head connecting member 42 of connecting portion 40 goes back. Here, in the case of the prior art (refer to Figure 4), magnetic head 30 descends and substantially contacts magnetooptic disk 9 within minidisk 1. However, in the present invention, in the open state of cartridge holder 20, head ascending support member 100 rotates counterclockwise by the elasticity of the spring 103, so that head supporting member contacting portion 105 of head ascending support member 100 blocks the descent of head supporting member 32. Thus, in the above-described state, even though the user draws out the magnetooptic disk cartridge 1 so as to exchange it with another, there is no concern about damage to the head. On the other hand, sliding member 80 is pushed out slightly from the initial state. However, because locking protrusion 95 of slide locking member 90 is locked by locking pin 94 in Figure 11, the restoring force of spring 83 allows sliding member 80 to return to its initial position so that there is no possibility of the minidisk being drawn out. As shown in Figure 13 which shows the open state of cartridge holder 20, as reproduction-only magnetooptic disk cartridge 1' is inserted, protruding pin 85 formed on bending portion 84 of sliding member 80 is inserted into detecting hole 8' of magnetooptic disk cartridge 1', to thereby stop the movement of sliding member 80. As a result, since supporting rod 86 continues to support protruding portion 45, the magnetic head does not descend. Referring to Figure 7, although cartridge holder 20 is lowered, since supporting rod 86 continues to support protruding portion 45, the descent of magnetic head 30 installed on head supporting member 32 is prevented. At the same state as those shown Figures 12 and 13, as cartridge holder 20 is lowered so that minidisk 1 received on cartridge holder 20 is loaded on the upper surface of deck 110, protruding portion 72 of spring member 71 supported by locking releasing member 70 moves in a direction a5 and is thereby located in front of releasing pin 63 of locking member 60 by the interlock with cartridge holder 20 and link 75, as shown in Figure 5. Since spring member 71 has less elasticity than torsion spring 64 which biases elastically locking member 60 counterclockwise, there is no concern about the release of the locking state of locking member 60. Head ascending support member 100 rotating counterclockwise, descends with cartridge holder 20, to enable plate spring contacting portion 106 to contact plate spring 102 installed on deck 110. Therefore, head ascending support member 100 rotates smoothly clockwise while head supporting member contacting portion 105 of head ascending support member descends. That is, as shown in Figure 6, as a recordable magnetooptic disk cartridge is inserted, head supporting member 32 descends, and magnetic head 30 substantially contacts the upper surface of magnetooptic disk 9, to thereby enable the magnetooptic disk player of the present invention, at the same state as that of Figures 5 and 6, to selectively carry out a predetermined recording and/or reproducing function. As cartridge holder 20 is opened in order to draw out disk cartridge 1, as shown in Figure 5, link 75 pulls locking release member 70 in the opposite direction of direction a5. Then, spring member 71 of locking release member 70 pushes releasing pin 63 of locking member 60, to thereby rotate locking member 60 counterclockwise. Therefore, the locking state is released by the separation of locking pin 61 from locking protrusion 55 of drawing-out member 50. As the locking state of drawing-out member 50 is released, the disk cartridge moves in the opposite direction of direction a4 shown in Figure 11 by the restoring force of tensioned spring 53, so that disk cartridge 1 is drawn out in the opposite direction of direction a4. Here, linking pin 57 of drawing-out member 50 touches releasing portion 96 of slide locking member 90 during the movement in the drawing-out direction, and thereby slide locking member 90 is pushed aside. Accordingly, locking protrusion 95 of slide locking member 90 is separated from locking pin 94, and sliding member 80 returns to the initial position. Therefore, supporting rod 86 returns to the initial position and magnetic head 30 is lifted. Also, by opening cartridge holder 20, head ascending support member 100 which is rotated clockwise by plate spring 102 and plate spring contacting portion 106 installed on deck 110 rotates counterclockwise by spring 103, whereby ascending and descending stand 101 and head supporting member contacting portion 105, while rotating upward, lift head supporting member 32. Therefore, even if cartridge 20 is opened with magnetic head 30 still in substantial contact with the upper surface of the magnetooptic disk, for example, due to the battery expiring during play, magnetic head 30 of head supporting member 32 can be brought away from the surface of the disk by means of the ascending/descending stand 101. Therefore, as the minidisk is drawn out, there is no concern about damage to magnetic head 30 due to contact with the drawn-out minidisk 1. On the other hand, as reproduction-only minidisk 1' is inserted, as shown in Figures 5 and 13, slide locking member 90 supported by sliding member 80, is maintained in an initial state, so that there is no problem with damage of the head due to the descending thereof. Also, the other operations are the same as those of above-described recordable minidisk. That is, in the present invention, as the reproduction-only minidisk without a shutter on the upper surface is used, there is no possibility that the magnetic head contacts the reproduction-only minidisk. Therefore, the present invention can properly perform recording and reproducing. Referring to Figure 14, another preferred embodiment will be described. Instead of supporting portion 107 (refer to Figure 5) and spring fixing hole 108 (refer to Figure 5) formed on sliding member 80, a supporting portion 107' and spring fixing hole 108' are each formed on the cartridge holder, and then head ascending support member 100 and spring 103 are installed. As a result, the operation and effect of the magnetooptic disk player according to this embodiment is essentially the same or equivalent to the previously described embodiment. Here, all other elements have the same functions and operations as the previous preferred embodiment. As described above, such magnetooptic disk players have a simple structure by which a disk cartridge may be loaded and unloaded by insertion into a door-type cartridge holder. Therefore, this is advantageous for the volume reduction of the player. Also, since electricity is not consumed in the opening and closing of the cartridge holder and in the ascending and descending of the magnetic head, power consumption is lower, while the magnetic head is completely protected. Therefore, the present invention is very effective in the miniaturization of the auxiliary memory of a computer or similar apparatus as well as a portable magnetooptic disk player.

Claims: A magnetooptic disk player having a cartridge holder (20) into which a magnetooptic disk cartridge (1,1') is insertable, a magnetic head (30) which substantially contacts, in use, a magnetooptic disk inside an inserted magnetooptic disk cartridge (1,1'), and a deck (110) onto which the magnetooptic disk cartridge (1,1') is loadable, wherein said magnetooptic disk player further comprises: a head supporting member (32) on which said magnetic head (30) is installed and which, in use, can ascend and descend so that the magnetic head (30) substantially makes contact with the magnetooptic disk; and head ascending support means installed on said cartridge holder (20), for lifting the head supporting member (32) in the state where the cartridge holder (20) is open and lowering the head supporting member in the state where the cartridge holder is closed; characterised in that said head ascending support means comprises: a supporting portion (107') formed on the cartridge holder (20); a head ascending support member (100) rotatably coupled to the supporting portion (107'), for lifting and lowering said head supporting member (32); and a spring (103) for elastically biasing the head ascending support member (100) toward a position where said head supporting member (32) is lifted. A magnetooptic disk player as claimed in claim 1, wherein said head ascending support member (100) comprises: a contacting portion (106) formed at one side of head ascending support member (100) for making contact with the deck (110) by the rotation of the cartridge holder (20) to move said head ascending support member toward a position where the head supporting member (32) is lowered; and a head supporting member contacting portion (105) formed at the other side of the head ascending support member (100), for contacting the head supporting member (32). A magnetooptic disk player as claimed in claim 1, wherein said spring (103) is constructed such that one end of the spring is connected to the cartridge holder (20), the center portion thereof is attached about the rotational axis of the head ascending support member (100), and the other end thereof is connected to the head ascending support member (100). A magnetooptic disk player as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein said magnetooptic disk player further comprises a plate spring (102) installed on the deck (110) for contacting said contacting portion (106) and thereby guiding the movement of the head ascending support means (32). A magnetooptic disk player which comprises a cartridge holder (20) into which a magnetooptic disk cartridge (1) is insertable, a magnetic head (30) which substantially contacts, in use, a magnetooptic disk inside an inserted magnetooptic disk cartridge (1), and a deck (110) onto which the magnetooptic disk cartridge (1) is loadable, wherein said magnetooptic disk player further comprises: a head supporting member (32) for supporting said magnetic head (30) and which, in use, can ascend and descend so that the magnetic head (30) substantially makes contact with the magnetooptic disk; a sliding member (80) installed on said cartridge holder, and which can be pushed by the inserted magnetooptic disk cartridge and then restored to an initial state; and a head ascending support means installed on the sliding member (80), for lifting the head supporting member (32) in the state where said cartridge holder (20) is open and for lowering the head supporting member (32) in the state where the cartridge holder (20) is closed; characterised in that said head ascending support means comprises: a supporting portion (107) formed on the sliding member (80); a head ascending support member (100) rotatably coupled to said supporting portion (107), for lifting and lowering the head supporting member (32); and a spring (103) for elastically biasing the head ascending support member (100) toward a position where said head supporting member (32) is lifted. A magnetooptic disk player as claimed in claim 5, wherein said head ascending support member (100) comprises: a contacting portion (106) formed at one side of the head ascending support member (100) for making contact with the deck (110) by the rotation of the cartridge holder (20) to move said head ascending support member (100) toward a position where said head supporting member (32) is lowered; and a head supporting member contacting portion (105) formed at the other side of the head ascending support member (100), for contacting with the head supporting member (32). A magnetooptic disk player as claimed in claim 5, wherein the spring (103) is constructed such that one end thereof is connected to the sliding member (80), the center portion of the spring is attached about the rotational axis of the head ascending support member (100), and the other end of the spring (103) is connected to the head ascending support member (100) thereby elastically biasing the head ascending member (100). A magnetooptic disk player as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein said magnetooptic disk player further comprises: a plate spring (102) formed on the deck (110) for contacting said contacting portion (106) and thereby guiding the movement of the head ascending support means.

Inventors: SEO YOUNG-SUN, SEO, YOUNG-SUN
Applicants: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD, SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: G11B11
IPC codes: G11B11, G11B21, G11B17, G11B7